‘When you’re at work, you keep your phone on and stay on a call with the entire ti.’
I was speechless. That ant zero privacy.
But seeing the stubborn set of his jaw—the clear ‘take it or leave it’ ssage—I finally gritted my teeth and agreed to his demands.
When we got in the car, Ashton fitted the Bluetooth earpiece to my ear. He drove to the studio and insisted on walking upstairs. He gave the place a once-over, clearly not impressed, but finally left when I reminded him he was running late.
Work went smoothly that day, but sothing Priya said stuck in my mind.
That evening, after dinner, I sat on the sofa, rubbed my stomach and said to Ashton, ‘Don’t you think my belly looks a bit odd lately?’
He froze, imdiately put down what he was doing, and looked at with sudden seriousness. ‘You’re eating well, sleeping fine, and the baby’s healthy. What’s supposed to be wrong?’
I moved over to sit beside him. ‘No, I an, compared to other won at the sa stage, mine seems much bigger. I’ve gained a little weight, sure, but it shouldn’t all be gathering on my stomach.’
The mont I said that, Ashton tossed his laptop aside and pulled closer, inspecting my belly with the concentration of a detective solving a case.
He stared for so long I half-expected him to burn a hole through , yet still looked utterly baffled. Then he suddenly lifted his head, eyes so intense it made my heart jump.
‘W-what is it?’ I stamred. ‘I was just saying. Honestly, I feel fine, no discomfort or anything.’
But before I’d even finished, he shot to his feet, his face set in grim lines. ‘Geoffrey, get the car. We’re going to the hospital.’
I was startled by how serious he looked and quickly got up too. I’d been going for my monthly check-ups, and everything had been normal so far. But Ashton’s reaction was making nervous.
Half an hour later, I was lying on the bed while the doctor perford the ultrasound. Ashton stood beside , arms crossed, his cold stare practically freezing the room. The poor doctor was sweating as he scanned back and forth, clearly terrified of missing sothing, but found nothing unusual.
Ashton’s face darkened. ‘What’s the problem, exactly?’ he demanded.
The doctor swallowed. ‘Mr Laurent, the ultrasound shows no issues. But to get a clearer look, we can do a 4D scan.’
‘Do it,’ Ashton said flatly.
The hospital staff scrambled into action. After a long round of tests, the results finally ca out—and everyone stared, stunned.
A 4D scan is usually done around seven or eight months, when the baby’s fully ford. Mine was done early, which turned out to be a stroke of luck. Because they found sothing unexpected.
I wasn’t carrying one baby. I was carrying two.
When the doctor handed over the report, he rushed to explain, clearly terrified Ashton would bla the hospital. ‘Mr Laurent, one of the babies was positioned behind the other during the earlier scans, and it was of a smaller size. The ultrasound only captures the front view, so the second baby was completely covered.’
Ashton didn’t hear a word of the explanation. He was staring at the scan, eyes shining as he traced the faint outline of a second tiny figure half-hidden behind the first.
I just sat there, dazed, my hand resting on my belly. I honestly couldn’t believe it. Of all the people, I’d sohow managed to win the twin lottery.
Which ant, if you think about it, other people had to go through labour twice to get two children. I’d only have to do it once.
Both of us were a bit dazed on the way ho.
After we got back, Ashton sat down on the sofa, then sat opposite, doing absolutely nothing but staring at my stomach as if it were a miracle of the universe. His eyes were so bright and tender it was almost unsettling.
He was staring for so long, I actually started to feel uneasy. I quietly grabbed a cushion and held it in front of .
Ashton blinked, as if waking from a trance, then looked up at .
‘What’s with that look? Can you not stare at like that?’ I said, feeling a bead of cold sweat forming.
He snapped back to himself. ‘The doctor said carrying twins will be hard on you in the late trister. You’ll need to control your diet, walk more every day, it helps with developnt and makes the birth easier. Co on, let’s go for a walk.’
I just stared at him, wide-eyed.
It was half past nine in the evening. Who went for a walk at this hour?
Ever since he’d found out I was having twins, Ashton had been... off. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but sothing about him felt different.
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